


All I Ask Of You

by voltarrrrr



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Background Relationships, Cheerleader Geralt, Everyone is Dumb except Yennefer, Gay Panic, Geralt is the New Kid, Is this High School Musical?, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera References, M/M, School Musical, Senior year, Tags May Change, Theatre Geek Jaskier, Yennefer is so done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23721346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voltarrrrr/pseuds/voltarrrrr
Summary: What happens if you're the mysterious new kid at school and a certain someone starts following your every step?You become part of a school musical.Or: A modern High School AU with cheerleader! Geralt and theatre geek! JaskierOr alternatively: High School Musical but make it gay
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 10
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter One - Challenges

**Author's Note:**

> Not quite sure if there was any kind of demand for this AU in the Witcher fandom but here you go!  
> (Note that I am by no means an experienced writer, specifically when it comes to fics with multiple chapters but I'll try my best)  
> \- tumblr: @jaskiershat

"Goodness gracious me! Catch me, Yennefer, for I might fall any second!"

"If you decide to collapse onto me, I will gladly let you hit the ground, Jaskier."

A loud and overly dramatic gasp left Jaskier and he pouted.  
"Woah, I see you're still a little meany."

In the split of a second Yennefer smiled in the most unenthusiastic way, only to return to her usual emotionless expression shortly after.

"I missed you too, Yen." Jaskier huffed in an amused manner and immediately returned his attention to the poster hanging on the wall.

The poster which would change everything, Jaskier knew it. It had to.

"This," he spread his arms, almost hitting a student walking by in the face, "my dear Yennefer, is our chance."

She cleared her throat: "Your chance. Not mine."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I'm not gonna audition."

And with that Yennefer kept on walking down the hallway, only to be followed by Jaskier seeming extremely distressed.

"Hang on! Nononono. Yennefer, no. Don't do this to me. This is not how this was supposed to go."

Yen let out a deep sigh before turning around again, raising a brow at the other.

"Listen," Jaskier grabbed his friend's hand, "this is our last year here and we are going to audition like every year and this year we will also get the leads, okay?!"

"I will focus on my studies. You know I love the stage but..." Some sort of apologizing look appeared on her face and she gave Jaskier's shoulder a sympathetic pat. She then headed off again and left her friend behind.

This probably wasn't how Jaskier had imagined his last year at school to start.  
He had been excited. Enthusiastic.  
But now? Now he just felt devestated.  
This definetly and most certainly wasn't at all how Jaskier had imagined his last year at school to start.

Shouldering his guitar, Jaskier slouched through the school's halls aswell, heading to his first class of the day. He wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to be angry at Yennefer or disappointed by himself for being so sensitive again.

True, it was only a school play but ever since the beginning, Yennefer and Jaskier had auditioned and played in them together.

Every. Single. Year.

To be fair, they used to hate each other.  
In their first year they were forced to audition together.

Only god knows how they ended up playing Nessa and Boq in their school's production of Wicked.  
However, they were good actors and knew better than to let their hatred for each other show.

What brought them closer was the occasional gossip one of them would let slip every now and then about their cast mates.  
It became more frequent and all of the sudden there happened to be no more enemies but fierce companions.

They both always ended up getting side roles and Jaskier was... unamused. To say the least.  
The only solace being Valdo Marx not even getting call backs for the lead while he at least managed to acheive that.

Jaskier had wanted this to be the one year in which Yennefer and him would be the ones standing in the spotlight.  
It had to be.  
It was their last chance.

Well... now it was his last chance as Yen had made it clear she wouldn't audition.

...

She didn't really think that this would stop him, right...?

Strumming a few gentle tunes on his guitar, Jaskier sung:  
"Oh, my dear friend Yennefer of Vengerberg, thou beautiful goddess-"

"What do you want, Jaskier?" she interrupted him with an annoyed sigh as they sat together at lunch.

"Look," he took a deep breath, "I don't know what I did to you that you must break my poor heart into a thousand pieces, just like the guy I went out with who told me I reminded him of a damn squirrel, but if there is at least a bit of human left inside of you, please consider auditioning with me."

Raising one brow she stared at him. Then she retreated her juice box.  
"No."  
She took a loud sip from the straw.

Jaskier let out a whine: "And just like that you broke it into pieces and then stomped over it again and you know what you did too? Yeah you-"

He cut himself off when he suddenly noticed something, or rather someone, unfamiliar in the corner of his eye.  
His head turned to stare at a student with long grey - no white - hair, an undercut shaved into it, who just sat down at a table with his lunch. Another two well built boys he had never seen before joined him.

He didn't even exactly knew what about him caught his interest in particular. It just... happened.

Couriously, Yennefer's glance followed Jaskier's. After all it must be something special if it managed to shut her friend up for a moment.

"You know it isn't necessarily nice to stare." she commented, bringing Jaskier out of his sudden trance once it got a bit too awkward.

With a faint blush covering his cheeks, he turned around again.  
"What do you even know about being nice..." he mumbled quietly.

"I heard that."

Jaskier simply stuck out his tongue.  
Then he sighed.  
...  
And he sighed again.  
Then he sighed louder.  
Another sigh.  
And-

"I'm trying to eat."

"Oh, keep going, I'm not holding you back."

Just as Yennefer was about to take the next bite, Jaskier blurted out:  
"Pleeease just do that damn audition with me!"

Knowing she would never be able to enjoy her meal in peace, she gave up, placed down her fork and crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning back and glaring at Jaskier.

Jaskier glared back.

And so they sat there in silence just staring at each other.

"I'll do the audition." Yennefer suddenly spoke and in an instant Jaskier's blue eyes lit up, being on and about to start a speech about how he knew she loved him too much to deny him this.

"But" Yennefer raised a hand in order to silence the other, signalling that there was more to come. "I'll only do it if you manage to accomplish something."

A little confused but still excited, Jaskier tilted his head.  
"What is it?"

He could have sworn to have seen a grin on Yennefer's face, utter amusement gracing her features.

"Get him to audition aswell."

"Who?"

Yennefer gave a small nod in the direction of the table that certain white-haired student had sat down a while ago. Jaskier turned around glancing at him. Then back to Yennefer. He glanced back to the student once more before finally facing his friend at last.

"As good as done."


	2. Chapter Two - Unfortunate Attention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so delighted to see that there are some people interested in my story.   
> I truly appreciate every kudo and comment being left so thank you for that!  
> I hope you enjoy the new chapter aswell :)

The next day, Jaskier emmited an exhausted sigh and dropped down onto the seat next to Yennefer.

She merely raised a brow at the slouching figure next to her, being pretty certain to know what was up.

"Giving up already?" Yen asked, almost feeling a spark of success rising up within.

"What?" In an instant, the boy's mood seemed to have taken a drastic turn "Oh no, not at all. Don't you worry!"

Yennefer sighed: "I should have known."

Jaskier knew better than telling her what had really happened earlier this day. He wasn't about to let her have this satisfaction, knowing that he had probably pretty much embarassed himself.

*

Only a few hours ago - Jaskier had just entered the room to his chemistry class - he had felt his heart skip a beat.

Surely, this wasn't a normal reaction to seeing a grumpy looking, white-haired guy who was brooding in the corner of a classroom.

At this point he didn't even seem to consider that eventually, yeah eventually that one wasn't quite the type to be convinced easily.

On the contrary! Jaskier seemed almost ecstatic, absolutely motivated and confident in his mission. Doubt was nowhere to be found.

He even felt so positive about this whole situation that he decided to simply jump in at the deep end and... he should have known better. Especially considering his past experiences with practically bombarding strangers with his presence.

"I just love how you sit here all by yourself," Jaskier started rambling once he had approached the other. "looking all... sullen." He made weird, exaggerated hand gestures while beaming at the other.

The just mentioned other however, was plainly looking at Jaskier.

No emotions at all.  
Just staring.  
A blank expression.  
Being friends with Yennefer had made Jaskier experience many of those but even she wasn't as unreadable as the boy in front of him.

Maybe he should have thought this through after all.

"Uhm, I mean it really.. suits you?"

It was obvious that Jaskier's smile began to falter the longer this student stayed silent. And yet, he didn't want to give up yet.

"A-and I suppose the seat next to you is still free." Jaskier pretended to scan the room, looking for potential teenage girls who were more than willing to take the seat next to the - absolutely attractive in a rather intimidating way - stranger.  
"So I suppose I will just... sit down, make myself comfortable and eventually-"

Jaskier's rambling was interrupted by the teacher entering the room, demanding of everyone to take a seat and be quiet in order to start the lesson.

Poor Jaskier let out a breath, he didn't know he had been holding in, and quickly hurried over to the seat next to the white-haired student, a faint blush covering his cheeks.

For a second he regretted his decision, knowing quite well that someone of that kid's posture would easily be able to dump him into the nearest bin if he only wanted to and if Jaskier managed to bother him even further.  
He however quickly remembered that Yennefer was the reason for him to do this in the first place and then it was okay again.

Class started and Jaskier couldn't help but throw quick glances at the student next to him. Pretty much every two seconds.  
He seemed unbothered by his presence which was a good sign, Jaskier thought.

Quietly, he cleared his throat, trying to gain the other's attention.  
He repeated this procedure twice but finally he got what he wanted.  
The boy shot him an annoyed glance from the side.

"You see," Jaskier began whispering. "we're basically neighbours now and well... I don't know your name yet."  
With an expecting expression he leaned over, elbow resting on their table.

"Hmm." grumbled the student and then returned his attention to the class.

Well that was something, right?!  
That was progress!

"Ah I see, Sir 'Hmm'. Very good. Very good. You may call me-"

"Julian, would you eventually consider stop bothering other students and pay attention?" the teacher suddenly scolded him loudly in a stern tone.

With a heavy sigh he slumped back into his seat, a defeated look gracing his features. He knew better than to bother his teacher again and risk getting a new seat at the back of the class. He would have to continue his project another time.

*

"Jaskier are you listening?!"

"What?"

"I asked if you were listening to me." Yennefer repeated her question in an annoyed tone.

But Jaskier's attention was mainly focused on a table nearby, once again having spotted a specific white-haired student. The two others from the day before were with him aswell.

Just when Jaskier thought the other was looking in his direction, he winked at him with his most charming smile.  
However, he was met with disappointment, immediately noticing that he hadn't seen him and was now focused on a conversation with the brown haired boy next to him.

He was just about to complain loudly to Yennefer when he suddenly locked eyes with the third boy from the table nearby.

Confusion was written on his face as they just kept staring at each other.  
Then it seemed like the other came to some sort of realization and he met Jaskier's glance with a shit-eating grin.

Now it was Jaskier's turn to be confused, he however quickly understood that the stranger must have thought the wink had been directed at him.

"Oh fuck." Jaskier spoke and buried his face in his hands, feeling his cheeks starting to burn.

Speaking of not wanting to admit to Yennefer how much he had embarassed himself. Now she had even witnessed it herself.  
How fucking great!

"Please don't say anything." he mumbled and felt the boy's eyes still resting on him but he didn't dare to return the glance once more.

Yennefer snorted: "I didn't."

It was clear to tell how amused she was by the scene in front of her and suddenly Jaskier had the thought that maybe she had given him this challenge, simply to bring him to make a fool of himself. It wouldn't have been the first time...

"But I see you've decided to try and seduce all three of them?!"

"Oh fuck off, Yen!"

How much he hated her, he thought. But he knew that he loved her too much than to admit to this thought to be genuine.


	3. Chapter Three - Handsome Prick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you're enjoying this fic so far!  
> Once again thank you for leaving kudos, I appreciate that.  
> This chapter is a bit longer and finally leads to the main story line.   
> (GERALT FINALLY TALKS OK)  
> Enjoy!
> 
> -tumblr: @jaskiershat

Jaskier awoke with a groan.

Simply because a certain sphynx cat had decided that the best way to start the morning was to jump on top of its owner and meow until he would get up and prepare breakfast.

"Fuck off, Griz!" Jaskier protested and buried his face deeper in his pillow but the cat's meowing only became more obnoxious.

With a dramatic whine, he finally got up and glared at the cat which was staring up at him with the most innocent look imaginable.

"Rude." he commented in a disapproving tone but still knelt down to pet Griz who then purred in pure delight.

While absently stroking his pets skin, he checked his phone as a message from Yennefer popped up:  
'2 days left xx'

Right. He had almost forgotten.  
It was Wednesday and the auditions would be on Friday.

He really had to step up his game and make some progress in trying to convince that one guy to audition.  
That one guy he didn't even know the name of.  
The guy who wouldn't even talk to him.  
And the fact that the exact same guy was undeniably attractive wasn't helping at all either.

Yennefer had known, Jaskier thought.  
She knew how difficult it would be and pretty much set him up to fail.

Loud meowing ripped him out of his thoughts again, signalling him to hurry the fuck up and make breakfast already.

"Ugh, I'm on the way, stop complaining!" he sighed and went downstairs.

His morning was as boring as any other. Spent all by himself.  
While he actually lived with his dad, he barely spent time with him and Jaskier couldn't blame him.  
After all there was a reason why they could afford their expensive lifestyle.

*

Jaskier arrived at school quite early.

Like pretty much every morning, the wall in the main hall caught his interest. The wall where posters and announcement had their place.

There wasn't anything new and yet he simply couldn't help but stare at the poster, which announced the audtions on friday, once again.

'PHANTOM OF THE OPERA'

There it was. In all its glory.

Phantom was one of Jaskier's personal favourite pieces and he was eager to audition for the lead.  
Of course he knew that he wasn't quite the type being normally casted for a character like the Phantom but he believed that in theatre, an art form being so diverse at times, there are certain risks worth taking.

Hell, he was talented.  
And his drama teacher, Miss de Vries, knew that aswell.  
Jaskier was certain he could convince her with his very own rendition of this iconic masked character.

"Considering going for the cheerleading tryouts?"

Jaskier turned around, confused at the unknown voice suddenly talking to him.

He managed to conceal a gasp, daring to escape, once he spotted the two students who had sat together with his mysterious white-haired classmate in the cafeteria.

In an instant he remembered the embarassement from the day before, having accidentally flirted with one of them.

And exactly that guy was now talking to him.

"Pardon?" Jaskier replied, severely confused.

The guy pointed at the wall where another poster gave information about the cheerleading tryouts later that day.

"Ah, no. No, I'm already served with drama. And am... quite happy with it."

"A pity. You could make a good figure on the team as I imagined you'd be quite... flexible."

There was this shit eating grin again.

"The fuck, Lambert?! Gross." the other guy complained and shot Lambert an almost disappointed glance.

Jaskier was speechless. For once.  
He just stood there fully irritated and a heavy blush covering his cheeks.

Lambert simply chuckled and got dragged along by the other.

"See ya!" Lambert exclaimed and then both left, the other immediately starting scolding him.

"Please stop doing that when I'm around."

"Grow up, Eskel!"

As they kept walking, Jaskier watched them starting to playfully push each other across the hallway until they were out of sight.

Well... that was one way to start off the day, Jaskier thought.

*

His first few classes were quite uneventful. And extremely boring on top of that.

He had none of them with Yennefer, nor did he seem to have any more courses with the mysterious guy.  
However, in his French class there was that Lambert guy again.

Jaskier had been lucky enough to have managed to get a seat next to Triss and therefore wouldn't have to spend the rest of the year next to a snoring figure because yes, Lambert had fallen asleep within the first five minutes.

*

"Stop complaining and just enjoy the attention." Yennefer spoke while sorting through her locker.  
It was extremely tidy, the only thing making it look sorta personal being the photograph of her, Triss and Sabrina sticking to the inside of the door. There also was a photo of Jaskier right after getting his wisdom teeth removed which she claimed was a piece of art. He had tried getting rid of it multiple times but Yennefer had just replaced it with a new copy. He had given up by now.

Jaskier stood close by and leant against the wall, watching other students pass the hallway. He had told Yen about his day, about his little talk with Lambert.

"I mean I do enjoy it but I can't help but think that he's doing that solely to mock me, you know?! I don't trust good looking men."

"Oh so that's why you've got so much trust in your talent." she plainly replied, not even looking up to see her friend dramatically covering his mouth with one hand, a gasp emitting from him.

"You evil little-"

"Yennefer!" a third voice spoke up, its owner kindly smiling at Yennefer at his arrival.

"Chireadan." she replied, acknowledging his presence but once more not even bothering to look up as she was by far too occupied with sorting her books by colour.  
Chireadan didn't seem to mind.

"I hope you enjoyed your summer?"

"Relatively."

Jaskier was simply watching them, quite obviously frustrated about the fact that he wasn't involved in the ongoing conversation at all:  
"Hello Jaskier. How are you doing Jaskier? I'm doing fine, thank you for asking, Chireadan. What about you?"

But Chireadan didn't even notice as he was fully focused on someone else.  
"I'll see you on Friday, right? At the audition?"

"Probably not, no. I decided not to audition this year."

Shock was written on the poor boy's face as he heard the news. Pretty much everyone in school knew that he was terribly smitten with Yennefer since middle school. And yet, he hadn't tried to make a proper move, much to Jaskier's surprise.

"But you have to!" Chireadan protested, his usual soft tone having turned into something by far more intense. "I don't know anyone more talented than you at this school."

"Charming her won't cut it, mate." Jaskier commented and watched with arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Thank you for the flowers but I decline." Yennefer spoke and closed her locker, finally paying attention to her conversation partner. "Unless Jaskier over there fulfils a task I have given him."

And with that she left.  
Chireadan watched her leave in something that Jaskier believed to be some sort of amazement.  
Once he came back to reality, he turned back to him.

"Whatever it is. Do it."

And Chireadan was gone aswell.

Jaskier, who was now on his own, sighed.  
He really should have appreciated the attention Lambert had given him more.

*

Being left with the thought of the auditions on Friday made Jaskier realize that he barely had any time left to accomplish what was needed in order to get Yen into the show aswell.

And the worst thing was, that for once in his life, he was clueless.

Throughout the day he had hoped to spot the guy again, whose name he still didn't know, but without any luck.

There indeed was another chemistry class the next day which would be his list chance.

Damn it, this couldn't be so hard, Jaskier thought. He would need to somehow convince that dude to audition. He didn't even have to be good. And in all honesty, Jasier didn't think of him to be the kind of guy to be talented in that area.

Jaskier already started thinking that if regular convincing wouldn't do, he would have to tend to a bit of flirting eventually...

*

As predicted, Jaskier didn't see the guy again and so he went home, disappointed and exhausted.

He was clearly worrying too much.  
So much that he had totally lacked his singing practice the fast few days.  
Which was a pretty dumb thing to do considering there was the audition coming up.

He therefore practiced the whole evening.  
However, Jaskier was very confident in his singing abilities and shouldn't worry all too much.

Since the former Seniors were gone now, the drama club has lost some of its talents.  
Considering his experience, Jaskier knew his chances were higher thany any year before.

*

The next day he walked into his chemistry class, he took a deep breath before heading to the back of them room where his seat was. His mysterious classmate already present.

Just. Act. Natural.

Jaskier casually sat down, flashing a smile at the other which probably looked anything but natural.

Considering he was a passionate actor, he truly tended to fuck many social interactions in real life up. He was merely trying too hard.

He cleared his throat, trying to gain the other's attention: "Hey, uhm... you see our last conversation - if you can even call it that - well... let's just say it ended a bit too aprubtly. Truly a shame. So uh... it's nice to meet you. Etcetera, etcetera. My name is Jaskier. What's yours?"

The guy looked at him, as emotionless as always, and stayed silent.  
Jaskier didn't know if that made him feel disgustingly uncomfortable or if that staring was kind of a new kink of his.

Anyways, Jaskier was just about to set for a new approach of rambling, when the other finally spoke up.

"Geralt."

Perplexed about the fact that that guy - Geralt apparently - had actually spoken, Jaskier needed a moment to snap out of his own staring.

"Charming. Truly." he then finally spoke with a bright smile.  
"So uh, Geralt, I've never seen you around before so I assume you're new at this school?"

Smalltalk. Smalltalk was important.  
And Jaskier had to admit that with all the mysterious behaviour of the other, he might have become a teeny tiny bit interested to find out more about him. Only a little.

Geralt once again needed a bit to settle for a reply but then a simple "Yes." emitted from him and he directed his gaze to the front of the class where the teacher was setting everything up.

Jaskier huffed. So apparently the conversation was over now?

Geez, he never would have thought that a plain conversation would be so hard.

The class started but Jaskier couldn't concentrate on anything happening at all. Just like in the class before, he had to glance at Geralt every two minutes, trying to figure out what the hell he was actually doing.

They came to a point of the class where they had to do partner work which Jaskier thought was ideal.

Geralt had gotten straight to working on the task given, not even making an attempt to communicate.

Jaskier wasn't in the mood to talk about chemistry anyways. If Geralt was so eager to do their work on his own then be it. Jaskier surely wouldn't complain.

There were more important things to tend to.

"Geralt, pal, I think I have to ask you something. Nothing drastic, no, don't worry."

Geralt didn't even seem to listen.  
And Jaskier wasn't sure if he did that on purpose or not.

"So well yeah, you see, on Friday there-"

But Jaskier couldn't finish as the school's bell interrupted him.

The whole class erupted into loud chatter, bags being packed and chairs being moved.

Geralt aswell began to pack, simply ignoring the fact that his neighbour just had tried to talk to him.

Jaskier tried his best to gain the other's attention once more but Geralt soon was gone. And with that every hope on getting Yennefer to the auditions.

*

Or so he thought.

Due to the events in the chemistry class earlier on, Jaskier had been brooding all day.

He mentally cursed Geralt for being such a rude but handsome prick and he cured Yennefer for ditching him in the first place.

Right now, his Senior Year really wasn't going in the mind of direction he would have liked to turn it to.

*

As every day, Jaskier was walking down the hallway, on his way to the cafeteria. He wasn't hungry and definetly not in the mood to talk to Yen but what else was he supposed to do.

He passed a wall of lockers when he suddenly spotted two familiar faces.

Jaskier was on and about to turn around, hoping not to be spotted.  
But Lambert had already seen him and flashed him a smirk.

"Can't get enough of me?"

"My heart aches when I can't be by your side." Jaskier sighed in a sarcastic tone, gaining an almost amused sound from Eskel.

"A common occurrence." Lambert commented and closed his locker with a strong push.

Jaskier had only gotten a glimpse at how it looked from the inside and he had been shocked to see that there was someone more messy than him.

"Jaskier, right? You don't think you could pass over your solutions to the French homework from yesterday?! I think I might have missed some parts of the class."

"How come I'm not surprised?!" Eskel threw into the conversation and shook his head in disappointment.

Lambert glared at him.

"Clearly I was repeating my favourite French vocabs in my head, Eskel." He sneered and then redirected his attention to Jaskier with an expecting look on his face. "And?"

"I can't just-"

Jaskier cut himself off, a sudden thought crossing his mind.

Could this-

It had to!

A big smile appeared on his face: "Yes, of course I could do that. If I may ask for a small favour in return?"

Eskel slightly tilted his head, watching Jaskier curiously.  
Lambert raised a brow: "I'm listening."

Jaskier took a deep breath. Now, this truly was his very last chance.

"I saw you guys hanging out with Geralt the past few days and by chance he's kind of involved in some sort of bet I have going on with a very lovely friend of mine."

Both boys were just watching him, waiting for Jaskier to continue.

"Basically I would just need you to somehow get him into the auditorium at five tomorrow. Get him to audition for the school musical."

For a moment there was silence and Jaskier feared to get laughed at any moment. It was a ridiculous request after all. But no laughter came.

"That's a rather strange thing to ask of me." Lambert plainly spoke, no emotion or whatsoever showing. Nothing that could show Jaskier what the other was thinking in that moment.

"We're in." Eskel suddenly said, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his lips. A smirk appeared on Lambert's face aswell and they gave each other a quick fist bump.

"He'll be there." Lambert assured him and gave the fully perplexed Jaskier a pat on the head as he walked past him with a joyful laugh. Eskel followed close by, amusement written on his face.

Jaskier really didn't know how he suddenly had gotten so good at convincing people to do stuff when it clearly hadn't worked with Geralt nor Yen.

*

His feet quickly carried him through the school, into the cafeteria.

Jaskier didn't need long until he spotted the table where Yennefer sat at, quietly studying a book.

Arriving at said table, Jaskier beamed brightly:

"Get yourself ready for the damn audition tomorrow, Yennefer!"


	4. Chapter Four - Of Disappointment and Shock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry for taking so long to write this new chapter.  
> I recently started writing my own novel aswell as my other hobbies have kept me busy.  
> However, I still hope you like this chapter!!!
> 
> -tumblr: @jaskiershat

One could have thought that not having to worry about the whole Geralt-situation anymore, would have given him more room to relax at this point. But this wasn't the case.  
While practicing, while showering and while trying to sleep there was Geralt disturbing his thoughts every now and then.  
It wasn't anything specific. Just him.  
Jaskier was pretty sure that was to blame on himself being a horny teenager. That's it.

*

Jaskier woke up the next day with a mixture of excitement and fear welling up inside of him.

The excitement was normal.  
He loved performing, proving his talent in front of others.  
This time however the situation was by far more serious.

This school musical wasn't only his last one of his high school time. No.  
It was also the chance for him to get into a good college.  
It was common for representatives of certain schools to be present at their performances to discover new talents.  
So getting the lead certainly was a necessity for Jaskier.

It was only reasonable for him to be at least kinda scared of what was to come. Wouldn't everyone be?

*

Pretty much every single class that day felt as if it lasted twice as long as it should which didn't really help Jaskier who wasn't paying attention in the first place.

Most of the time he was going through song lyrics in his head, despite already knowing them by heart.  
A couple of times he got out his music scores, checking some notes and quietly humming along.

Everyone was asked to prepare one song which wasn't part of the show, aswell as one song of the show if auditioning for one of the main characters.

He truly hadn't expected to feel so nervous and it was plain off frustrating. This just wasn't him.  
Not when it came to his passion.

But he was staying positive.  
This couldn't be a bad sign.  
That would be ridiculous!

*

"And you are sure he will be there?" Yennefer asked skeptically, glancing at her friend from the side with a raised brow.

Both were just on their way to the auditorium. It was almost five and the auditions would start soon.

"I already told you he will. His name is on the list." Jaskier sighed and fiddled with a button of his shirt in a nervous manner. Well at least he hoped that Geralt would actually be there...  
It all depended on Lambert and Eskel.

"You know I will simply refuse to sing if he won't." Yen plainly stated. To her it was as simple as that.

"Why are you so obsessed with him anyways?!"

But before he could get an answer, another student joined them.

"Triss!" Yennefer was delighted, a soft smile gracing her features. An unusual sight.

Both girls fell into a conversation as they passed the staircases, fully ignoring Jaskier who was once again left alone with his thoughts.

Oh lord, how he hoped nothing would go wrong.

*

When the three students entered the auditorium, it was already rather crowded. Students were talking loudly. Quite obviously nervous students.

Some were warming up their voices. Others seemed as if being close to a mental breakdown.  
The usual.

Jaskier nervously looked around all seats but couldn't spot Geralt. Not Lambert. Nor Eskel.

He was about to get angry when remembering that there was still some time left and he also should be more focused on the upcoming audition.

They headed to some free seats. On their way, Chireadan spotted them, almost beaming.

"Yennefer you came!" he spoke happily.

"Seems like it." she replied dryly and moved on, ignoring the others disappointed look.

Jaskier met his glance with a sympathetic expression.

"Who are you gonna audition for anyways?" Triss asked Yennefer once they had sat down.

Jaskier knew the answer and replied on her behalf: "Christine. Obviously."

"Actually Jaskier, I am not." she responded and was met with the boy's shook expression.

"Hey, what's that about!" he exclaimed and felt a few students around them looking at them curiously, amongst them a small young girl with ash blond hair.  
"What do you mean you are not auditioning for Christine?" Jaskier repeated in an more adequate tone.

"It means I'm not auditioning for Christine, it's as easy as that."

"B-but, but you usually always audition for the lead."

"Yeah, usually I also don't have to be forced to auditon by a nosy brunette."

She got a point.

Jaskier decided to stay quiet for now.

*

Once again he was going through his music while absently walking through the auditorium to calm his nerves.

Still no sign of Geralt. Fuck.

He looked up from his sheet once more to take a look when he caught sight of an ash blond girl sitting there all by herself. She seemed rather young.

"I suppose you're a freshman?!"

For a moment she simply studied Jaskier, as if trying to make out who he was.

"I am." she replied.

"Ah so it's your first show at this school. Right right." he gave a firm nod. "Who are you auditioning for today."

The girl shrugged.  
"Ensemble I suppose."

Now it was up to Jaskier to study her intently. Something about her seemed so refreshing compared to the other freshmans around. She didn't seem nearly as nervous, nor did she seem to be bothered by anything else.

"What's your name?" Jaskier finally asked.

"Ciri."

"Alright Ciri. Are you any good?"  
He gave a nod towards the stage.

"I mean I..." Ciri paused. "Yes, I am." she stated, at last more confident.

"Then maybe consider auditioning for another track."

He winked at her and left, returning to his seat next to Yennefer.

*

It took a while until everyone had sat down and was quiet enough for the auditions to start.

Miss de Vries had gotten onto the stage and welcomed everyone, her usual stern aura causing even the nervous freshmans to shut up their quiet mumbling.

It was the usual speech about how professionalism was to be expected even if this was just a high school drama club and like every year Jaskier looked around in an amused manner, seeing all the the newbies frightened for their own good.  
He couldn't help but chuckle and turned to Yennefer to see her lightly doing so aswell.

He regretted it only a second later when Miss de Vries noticed them.  
"And even students who may have proven themselves talented the previous years, should know that those performances give absolutely no room for biased judgement," she indirectly directed her speech at them.

Jaskier's facial expressions dropped in an instant and he focused on the stage once more.  
Miss de Vries continued to go on with the audition process and the casting expectations.

Once more Jaskier felt his attention wandering somewhere else.  
He heard the door to the auditorium opening in the back and he turned around.  
His heart made a leap when he saw Lambert and Eskel, dragging along an unamused looking Geralt.

When Lambert spotted Jaskier he quickly blew him a kiss and then worked on trying to make Geralt sit down.

"What am I even doing here?!", Jaskier heard Geralt complaining in a whispering tone. They were lucky that Miss de Vries was busy talking to the pianist on stage and a general mumbling had erupted in the auditorium.

"I told you he would be here," Jaskier spoke to Yen, obvious pride in his voice.

"You cheated. You had help," she sighed, trying to defend her loss.

"Ah, you didn't specify how I would get him to be here."  
He grinned.

"But are you sure he really is gonna audition? Just him being here doesn't necessarily guarantee that."

"He will," Jaskier answered. At least that's what he hoped. But he wouldn't share his doubt with Yennefer. It was too late for that anyways. Miss de Vries had already called up the first to step up the stage.

The order of who auditioned when was, as always, absolutely random. One year, Jaskier had tried to make out some sort of pattern but he had to give up and realize that there really wasn't any. At least none that would be obvious.

Him and Yennefer had agreed that Miss de Vries decided that order herself upfront with... whatever motives behind that.

They saw a couple of freshmans first.  
Most auditioned for ensemble tracks. One was brave enough to audition for Christine but failed miserably while trying to sing 'Think Of Me'.

Jaskier's head perked up once the name Cirilla was announced and the blonde girl from earlier got up on stage.

"Please let us know what you are going to audition for," Miss de Vries spoke through the microphone.

"I uhm," Ciri glanced at the audience and Jaskier gave her a quick thumbs up aswell as an encouraging smile.

He saw her taking a deep breath and speaking up again: "I will be auditioning for the role of Meg Giry."

"Very well. Please start."

The pianist started playing and Ciri sung Meg's part of 'Angel Of Music'. Effortlessly.

Jaskier was impressed, to say the least. He looked over to Miss de Vries and even she seemed fully pleased.  
That was a rare sight.

"That's enough. Thank you." she announced once Ciri was done and dismissed her by that.

Quickly she got down the stage, smiling brightly in Jaskier's direction. He smiled back.  
(Also because he was relieved that he had given her the right advice and therefore wasn't responsible for her eternal doom.)  
He could tell that girl would most likely be the source for further surprises in the future.

The auditions continued. Chireadan auditioned for Monsieur André and turned out to be a pretty decent singer. Like always. Nothing too phenomenal. But good. And his comical timing was spot on. As always.

Jaskier turned around a couple of times, making sure that Geralt was still present. Which he was. Thankfully. Just a bit grumpy looking.

Jaskier had to hold back the urge of wanting to vomit once Valdo Marx entered the stage. He auditioned for Raoul.  
Jaskier wondered if he should grant him playing one of the leads if it meant for him to play his arch nemesis or if he just wanted him to get an ensemble track once more. Preferably one he would get to kill off as the Phantom.

"He was good," Yennefer commented once Valdo was done and left the stage. Jaskier was close to loudly disagreeing when suddenly his own name was called.

"Fuck you, Yen," he quickly whispered and then got up to head to the stage, mentally preparing himself and putting on a charming smile.

"Today I will be auditioning for the role of the Phantom and I've-" Jaskier started but was cut off.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Miss de Vries with a raised brow.

Silence. Jaskier's smile faltered. Not once this day had she questioned someone's choice like this.

"Well yes, I am. Why shouldn't I?" he replied bravely after the first shock was over. He felt the whole auditorium's gazes locked on him.

"Jaskier, we've known each other long enough by now so I want to be honest. I don't see you in that role."

Utter disappointment rushed through his body. She hadn't even let him try.  
But he knew he had little to no chance if she had already made up her mind.

Sensitive as he could be, Jaskier felt like wanting to cry. If it wasn't for him standing on a stage, he probably would have.

He gave a single nod, trying to overcome the wave of sudden sadness.  
"A-alright."

"I would ask you to audition with whatever song you have prepared that isn't part of the show," Miss de Vries continued as if nothing had happened at all.

Jaskier didn't dare looking into the audience, the embarassement he had just experience way too intense.

But he also knew that he couldn't fuck this up either. No matter how devestated he maybe was.  
This was his only chance.  
There wouldn't be another.

Jaskier took a deep breath as he walked over to the pianist and handed him his sheet music.

Now or never.

*

Jaskier managed to deliver his version of 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' from the show Les Misérables quite well, considering he had experienced his most miserable moment in life only a minute before.  
And despite the short feeling of euphoria while performing, his mood dropped in an instant once having left the stage.

If it wasn't for Yennefer, he'd be out of that auditorium as quick as possible.

Triss was up next and while she got onto the stage, Yen asked her friend if he was alright to which he only replied "I guess".

Triss surprisingly auditioned for Christine, the lead.  
She had always been a wonderful singer and actress but never had been interested in the lead roles.  
Her audition went well.  
Good for her, Jaskier thought.

The audition process continued and as he was slowly zooming out, Jaskier almost forgot about a certain someone sitting in the back of the auditorium.  
That was until that certain someone's name was called.

Silence. No one spoke a word, waiting for Geralt to get up on stage.

"Geralt of Rivia!" Miss de Vries repeated, her tone a bit more stern.

Jaskier turned his head and saw Geralt looking genuinely surprised, almost disturbed. He hasn't expected this at all.  
No wonder!  
Jaskier had been the one writing his name onto the list.  
Poor guy.

"One last time. Geralt of Rivia!" Miss de Vries spoke loudly into her microphone, not amused at all.

"Here!" Jaskier heard Lambert shout and then saw Geralt being shoved towards the stage.

Miss de Vries sighed deeply.  
"Please hurry up, there are other students waiting to audition aswell and I do not wish to stay here for much longer."

Jaskier watched Geralt's every step. He couldn't quite tell what was going on in the other's head, his expression illegible but his movements rather careful.

Soon Geralt was standing on stage, almost looking helpless but at the same time appearing strong and dominant. Almost superior.

"Which track will you be auditioning for?" Miss de Vries asked, quite obviously annoyed with Geralt's eternal silence.

Geralt said nothing. But Jaskier could tell that he was thinking about what to say.  
He probably didn't even know the show they were auditioning for!

Jaskier suddenly hated the fact that he was the reason for that guy's misery.  
He felt genuinely bad and wondered if it had been worth it.  
Was he really that much of an asshole?

Jaskier was just on and about to stand up and say something - probably incredibly stupid because he hadn't even thought about what he wanted to say - when Geralt finally spoke up.

"I suppose I will be auditioning for... the lead," Geralt spoke slowly, his deep voice echoing through the auditorium. But he seemed rather confident.

A quiet gasp emitted from Jaskier and he stared at Geralt with big eyes.

What was actually going on right now?

Was this some sort of panic reaction from Geralt or was he actually considering doing this?

His question was answered soon, when the pianist started playing 'The Music of the Night' and Geralt got ready to sing.


	5. Chapter Five - Love at first Tone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just letting you know beforehand that //"..."// in this fic indicates that something is sung, simply to prevent confusion!  
> Feel free to also leave questions about this AU on my tumblr :)  
> Enjoy!!!
> 
> -tumblr: @jaskiershat

In his young life, Jaskier so far had experienced many states of emotion.  
But what happened in the auditorium that day was something else.  
Being all caught up in his own disappointment by the previous failure, he managed to drop all of that at once, when Geralt started to sing.

//"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation  
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination"//

The first few words emitted and - as husky as they were - made Jaskier's legs go weak. There was this hoarse undertone, undeniably the result of a voice not warmed up beforehand.  
But the overall outcome was not... bad. No, not at all.

He dared to shot a glance at Miss de Vries. Her brows were furrowed as she watched and listened.

//"Silently the senses abandon their defenses"//

Right then and there Jaskier could have sworn before god himself that he had never heard someone else deliver this line so softly as Geralt just had done. He didn't even dare to breathe.

//"Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor  
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender  
Turn your face away from the garish light of day  
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light  
And listen to the music of the night"//

Geralt's voice took up on strength again and Jaskier couldn't help but stare with his mouth wide open.  
Was this truly happening?  
There was this... this dude.. with muscles, an incredibly grumpy looking one at that, simply delivering the Music of the Night. Spontaneously.  
This surely must be a dream!

//"Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams  
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before  
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!  
And you'll live as you've never lived before"//

A wave of a thousand emotions - Jaskier wasn't even able to name the majority of them - rushed through his body, amazed at what he just witnessed. It was ridiculous but his heart started pounding faster.

Another quick glance at Miss de Vries. Her brows were no longer furrowed. No, they were raised now but Jaskier couldn't quite tell what this indicated. It didn't matter. His focus immediately returned to Geralt who didn't even look like he was trying.

//"Softly, deftly, music shall caress you  
Hear it, feel it, secretly po-"//

"That's enough!" Miss de Vries ended his singing.

And just like that, the dream was over. Way too soon.  
Jaskier wanted to protest.  
Instinctively he got up from his seat, not even knowing what his plan was.

For a second his eyes met Geralt's.  
Jaskier felt Yennefer tugging at his wrist, pulling him back down to his seat. He complied.

"Thank you." Miss de Vries spoke dryly.

Geralt gave a casual nod and left the stage as if nothing had just happened. But that wasn't the case at all.

Jaskier didn't understand what he just had witnessed.  
He didn't even understand why he was so surprised about Geralt's talent in the first place but he sure as hell understood one thing.

"I think I might be in love."

Yennefer only snorted.

*

The auditions continued but Jaskier could pay no attention to anyone else, his own trouble from before also forgotten.

On his mind, there constantly was Geralt and his magnificent performance.

He didn't dare turn around in his seat to catch a glimpse of his tall figure again, even if he didn't know what he feared might happen.

God, he had never felt so stupid before!

"I just don't get how someone can be so gifted and just not voluntarily audition for every lead there is to get..." Jaskier mumbled, mainly to himself.

"Not everyone tries as desperately as you to hog the limelight." Yennefer retorted.

Jaskier knew he should be offended but he wasn't even in the mood to deny or complain.

"I just think it's funny how you could have randomly chosen anyone for this stupid challenge and yet we ended up with a new upcoming Broadway legend."

"Who said something about randomly chosen though ?!"

Jaskier furrowed his brows.  
"What do you mean? It's not like you knew- Wait did you?"

"Yennefer von Vengerberg." called Miss de Vries.

Yen stood up and winked at Jaskier before leaving for the stage.  
Jaskier felt as if his brain was quite literally melting at this point.  
What was actually going on here?

*

Yennefer auditioned for Miss Giry.  
It was no surprise to Jaskier who earlier had already been exposed to the idea that his friend wouldn't audition for Christine.

Jaskier started to wonder if this was the case because Triss had auditioned for Christine but since Yen was a naturally competitive person, he doubted so.

Yennefer did really well, which again was no surprise at all.  
Miss de Vries however seemed a bit sceptical about her choice of role, commenting that really, she would have seen her better in a role such as La Carlotta.

Well, that was indeed one very specific statement and no one in the auditorium was really able to tell if the underlying message was one to mock or praise.

"That's it for today. Thank you everyone for being here today. The final casting will be announced next week already, prepare to be disappointed aswell!"

And with that she left. Students got up, breaking out into loud chattering.  
Jaskier did aswell.

"Please tell me what this just was about. What do you mean you didn't choose randomly? Yennefer you owe me an answer!" he began rambling, once being reuinted with his friend again but she seemed to ignore him.

Moreover, she was looking at something behind him, he soon realised. Or moreover looking at a certain someone approaching.

Jaskier turned around and almost let out a loud gasp. Geralt!  
Lambert and Eskel tagged along behind him. Or rather tried.  
Getting through a crowd of giggling freshmen certainly was a challenge in itself.

Why on earth was he approaching them?  
Could it be that Geralt knew that Jaskier was responsible for this whole situation?  
Would this be his end?  
He knew he should have told Lambert to keep his mouth shut about this matter.

But Geralt didn't even seem to care for Jaskier in the slightest.  
No, his focus was all set on Yennefer.  
And Yennefer seemed to be more than just content about this fact.


End file.
